apology
by Gina R Snape
Summary: Snape & Lupin have a confrontation 1 wk after Lupin gets sacked from Hogwarts.  Snape at his darkest, meanest, snarkiest.  Lupin at his most understanding & smart on the uptake. SSRL slash fic, but I’m hoping non-slash fans will find it interesting.


Apology  
  
By Gina R Snape  
  
Disclaimer: Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, and the world of Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Warner Bros. I mean no infringement of their rights and make no profit off this story. It is purely for my own twisted amusement. Reviews welcomed.  
  
Warning: Snape/Lupin slash. Not exactly non-con, but there is no fluff in this story. It's simply a plot bunny that wouldn't leave my head. And yes, like all my stories, it can fit into my complete fanfic world. But you need not read any of my other stories to read this one. It takes place one week after the end of PoA.  
  
****   
  
Remus Lupin sat at a corner table, quietly drinking his Ogden's and Coke, staring into space. It was a week since he'd lost the best job he'd ever had in his life. And now most of the wizarding world knew he was a werewolf, which meant finding a job would be a near impossibility. Lonely, sad, directionless, he swirled his drink and took another gulp. Sitting in a dark, half empty bar and forgetting everything seemed the most appealing option at that moment.  
  
Music played in the background, a sad quiet tune. The strumming guitar seemed to fit the rhythm of his melancholy as though it were playing just for him. He stirred his drink absentmindedly to the beat and took a sip. A warm hazy buzz was growing nicely inside him. Remus was halfway through his third drink before he realised Severus Snape was sitting across the room, also alone, also just finishing his third drink.  
  
Remus quickly finished his drink and stared fixedly at his empty glass. "Great, just who I need to see now," he grumbled to himself. He looked up again and saw Snape staring into his own glass, glance up at him expressionless, and stare off into the middle distance.  
  
Lupin slammed his glass on the table, stood up and walked to the men's room. His plan was to piss, and then walk out of the bar. Or maybe his plan was to walk back and punch Snape. Or maybe his plan was to walk back and yell at Snape, and then punch him. He wasn't sure. It wasn't really Snape's fault he'd lost the job. It was his own fault. He forgot to take the Wolfsbane potion. He neglected to tell Dumbledore about Sirius' animagus ability. He let down the only man who'd ever given him a fair chance in life. He'd resigned as much as he'd been sacked. But somehow, Snape letting the Slytherins (and consequently the whole school and the rest of the wizarding world) know he was a werewolf just gave him...something to focus on. At least, it seemed to work in his semi-drunken state.  
  
He walked into the men's room and closed the door. It was clean and quiet and-thank Merlin-empty. There was one empty stall and three urinals against the far wall. Lupin walked up to the one all the way on the right, let out a sigh and released a steady stream. Just as he'd finished, he heard the door behind him open and click. The door had been locked. A swooshing of robes filled the air and a moment later Severus Snape was approaching, slowly. He stood at the middle urinal, but did not use it.   
  
Lupin fixed himself and turned to face Snape. Not sure what he was playing at, he looked him up and down and gazed intently into cold, black eyes. Snape raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Lupin."  
  
"Severus."  
  
Lupin's heart began to race. Why did this man follow him in here? Why was he standing so close? Was he in for a fight? Was he just drunk? Remus could smell the alcohol on the other man's breath. Yet, his posture and gait didn't waver, so he couldn't be feeling the effects too strongly.  
  
The two men stood staring at each other for about a minute. Finally, Lupin broke the silence.  
  
"I always had respect for you, Severus. I always showed you respect. And this is how you repaid me. Maybe Sirius was right."  
  
Snape scowled, but didn't move.  
  
What are you doing?" he questioned.   
  
When he received no reply except Snape's penetrating gaze, he let out a nervous laugh. "Well, you've no reason to be cross with me, except for the boggart. But that was just sheer luck."  
  
If possible, Snape turned an even paler shade of white. "I had to do it," he replied in a dangerous tone.  
  
"Why?" Lupin spat back. "Concerned for your precious Slytherins? Afraid I'd attack the whole school? Or is this all just about Sirius, and James, and the past?"  
  
"I simply could not allow you to remain there," Snape responded icily, raising more questions than answers. He looked away and, after a brief pause, added, "I know you thought of me differently than the others did." He sounded almost wistful, almost regretful.  
  
Lupin gave a puzzled expression. A stream of thoughts flew through his mind. What could he mean? It was true he'd harboured no real malice towards Snape in their childhood. In fact, he'd always had something of a secret crush on Severus Snape in his youth. Could he know that? Remus never told a soul. But that was a lifetime ago. Now, as a grown man, he held a certain respect for the man. Well, until he lost the job at Hogwarts anyway. He hadn't thought of Snape in a sexual way for years. No, he must mean the respect Lupin always showed him. Plus, he reckoned, Snape must simply not be himself now that Sirius was back.   
  
"I, I'm glad you know that," he broke the silence.  
  
Snape stood before Lupin, his cold hard stare changed. The faint expression in his eyes, if there was one, looked more like studied questioning. It was as though he were making his mind up about something. He stood so close that his whisky-tainted breath tickled Lupin's nose. To his surprise, Lupin found himself becoming aroused.  
  
Not sure what to say, he whispered, "I don't want to fight you, Severus."  
  
"I'm not here to fight you," he replied, and stepped yet a little closer.  
  
Lupin's robes were open, and the bulge in his trousers became an obvious evidence of his reaction to Snape's proximity. Snape let his gaze fall to Lupin's crotch, then looked back up and gave a small, sinister, breathy laugh.  
  
"Just as I suspected," he sneered.  
  
"I, I, I have to go," Lupin stammered. But Severus manoeuvred to prevent him from leaving.  
  
"Not like that you're not," he chided, and pushed him against the wall. To Lupin's utter shock and surprise, Snape rushed forward and groped Lupin's erection, then freed it from his trousers.   
  
*****LEMON ALERT*****LEMON ALERT******  
  
In order to comply with the policies of ff.net, part of this fic has been cut and can be found here:  
  
sycophanthex. lordandladysnape. com/ viewstory.php?sid=554  
  
Or  
  
adultfan. nexcess.net /aff/ story.php?no=20339  
  
**********Story, cont'd********  
  
Severus looked down his nose at Lupin and snarled, "Pathetic."   
  
Lupin laughed and wiped his face. "Only that you came that hard. Geez, Sev, you must've been storing that up for some time."  
  
"Never mind what I store up," Snape snapped back. He quickly buttoned his trousers and reached for the door.  
  
"You're a menace to society, werewolf," he scowled. "Never step on the grounds of Hogwarts again."  
  
Lupin's eyes went wide in shock.  
  
"The only thing of mine you'll be drinking is the Wolfsbane potion. Forget to contact me with your location before the full moon and you...will...suffer."   
  
Snape turned on his heels and unlocked the door. Glancing around one last time, he added, "And don't tell anyone. Not even Dumbledore."   
  
Lupin sat on the floor, the slam of the door still ringing in his ears. It was the strangest apology he'd ever received in his life.  
  
THE END  
  
A/N: Special thanks to Joe for 'technical advice' and to Madelyne for overcoming her anti-slash sentiments long enough to affirm Snape's "Snapeyness."   
  
Reviews are very welcomed. Preferably at Sycophant Hex or aff.net. Thanks. 


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